Balanced Diet

What Is a Balanced Diet?

Foods from all the major food groups: grains, fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy

Proper amounts of these foods

Why Should I Eat a Balanced Diet?

A balanced diet can provide all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrient that your body needs. This diet will also support your overall health and well-being. It will help you to look and feel your best.

When combined with regular physical activity, a balanced diet can help prevent conditions such as:

How to Eat a Balanced Diet

Balancing each meal with the proper food groups and the correct amount of food is the start of a balanced diet. At first, you will need to plan each meal. When you are more comfortable with food groups and portion sizes, it will be easier to create balanced meals. Some key tips from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) include:

Enjoy food, but eat less.

Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables or fruits.

Half of the grains you consume should be whole grains.

When consuming dairy, choose fat-free or low-fat (1%) options.

Keep sodium levels in your diet low. Choose foods low in sodium.

Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Choose My Plate
is a USDA website. It can help you identify foods by their food group and show how much of each food to include in a meal.

Exact amounts of each food group and calories you will need vary based on your age, sex, and activity level.

A Closer Look at the Food Groups

Grains

There are 2 main types of
grains:
refined
and
whole. Refined grains are grain products missing the nutritional elements of the whole grain because of processing. Enriched grains are processed grains that have nutrients like vitamins, folic acid, and iron added back in.

Whole grains are in their natural form with the entire grain seed, which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm. Whole grains come in a many varieties. You may see labels with the words cracked, crushed, or flaked. Many grains are also a source of dietary fiber.

Labels are not always what they seem, so learn to read them in order to increase your food knowledge. For example, whole wheat bread is not the same as whole grain bread. Whole grain should be the first ingredient on the list. Ideally, food should have as few ingredients as possible. The more ingredients a product has, the more processed and less natural it is.

Vegetables

Vegetables
can be divided into 5 subgroups: dark green, orange, dry beans and peas, starchy, and other. Each of these groups provides different nutritional values. Vegetables in the dark green and orange groups are rich in vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants.

Vegetables in the dry beans and peas group provide high amounts of protein, iron, and zinc. They are also considered part of the protein group.

Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, contain more carbohydrate than other vegetables and are sometimes treated as part of the grains group.
If you are keeping track of what you are eating, count them in 1 group, not both.

Vegetables Balanced Eating Guide

Daily amount: 2.5 cups

Eat a variety of different vegetables every day

Dark green vegetables such as like broccoli, spinach, bok choy, or romaine lettuce

Orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, or butternut squash

Fruits

When it comes to fruit, fresh, dried, frozen, or canned are all excellent choices. Fruit juice packs in a lot of calories and does not contain all the added fiber of foods eaten in their whole form. Like vegetables, fruits are an important source of vitamins and antioxidants.

Fruits Balanced Eating Guide

Daily Amount: 2 cups

Eat a variety of fruit

Choose fresh fruit over fruit juices

Choose fruit varieties without added sugar

Dairy

Dairy products are an excellent source of
calcium, and milk is also fortified with
vitamin D, a vitamin that many of us would otherwise not get enough of. Individuals who choose not to eat dairy should be sure to include other calcium-rich or calcium-fortified foods in their diet. You may also consider supplements of calcium and vitamin D.

Dairy Balanced Eating Guide

Daily Amount: 3 cups

Dairy products include milk, yogurt, and cheese

Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products

Milk alternatives include calcium-rich or calcium-fortified foods and beverages, like green leafy vegetables or orange juice

Protein

The
protein
group includes poultry, fish, beef, eggs, nuts, beans, and legumes. These foods are our main source of protein, along with other key nutrients such as
iron
and
zinc.

Proteins Balanced Eating Guide

Daily Amount: 5.1 ounces

Choose lean meats and poultry

Eat more fish and vegetarian sources of protein to limit your intake of saturated fats

Other Foods and Beverages

Foods and beverages high in
added sugar or solid fat
should be consumed in limited amounts. These foods include cookies, cake, ice cream, soda, muffins, French fries, and potato chips. For the most part, these foods are low in nutrients and high in calories.

Other Foods and Beverages Eating Guide

Daily amount: <265 calories

Limit or avoid solid and processed oils and fats, such as stick margarine, lard, hydrogenated oil, and shortening.

Limit foods high in added sugar or processed fats.

Be aware that specialty coffees can contain high amounts of sugar and fat.

Use substitutions. Snack on almonds instead of a candy bar.

Alcoholic beverages, if consumed, should be limited to 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women.

Suggestions on Eating a Balanced Diet

A balanced diet will help you meet all your nutrient needs and stay healthy. Here are some final tips on how to eat a balanced diet:

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Dietary guidelines for Americans 2010. United States Department of Health and Human Services website. Available at:
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf. Accessed September 14, 2016.